If memory serves me right, in 1984/85, the Board of
Control for Cricket organised a Quandrangular ODI Tournament -
Champions, Rest, Mercantile and Nationalised Services. At that time, I
was attached to the Bank of Ceylon as Public Relations Manager.

BOC were the Nationalised Services cricket champions.
They were invited to play in this prestigious tournament. Our team was
captained by former Kingswoodian Asoka Perera and I opened the batting
for Bank of Ceylon.

The champion SSC versus Bank of Ceylon match was played
at the picturesque Sinhalese Sports Club grounds.

Winning the toss, Bank of Ceylon took first lease of the
wicket. SSC boasted a formidable, star studded team. Some of the players
who represented SSC were C. I. Gunasekera, the Wettimuny brothers, Mitra,
Sunil, Sidat, ‘King of the Swing’ Mevan Peiris, Kusil Gunesekera, T. M.
S. Saldin, and Michael de Zoysa are some of the players who come to
mind.

Swan Song

This encounter was my Swan Song. I really enjoyed my
three decades of cricket, playing the role of wicketkeeper/opener at
Nalanda, University, the club circuit, Education Department and Bank of
Ceylon. I was determined to end my career on a memorable note. I put my
head down, concentrated and started building my innings. I faced 32
overs, scored 77 runs. Unfortunately, I was ruled out, LBW, off the
bowling of ‘Maestro’ C. I. Gunasekera. The ball touched my bat and hit
the pad when I tried to drive it to mid-on. While I was walking back to
the pavilion, C. I. Gunasekera patted my back and said, "well played,
timely knock."

I was on cloud nine, as this compliment was paid by no
lesser person than one of the greatest of cricketers produced by this
country – C. Ivers Gunasekera, who was my cricket idol.

C. I. Gunasekera was a colossus. He was the most
attractive, charming, hard hitting batsman I have seen.

He was born on July 14, 1920. He joined Royal College,
played his first Royal-Thomian match in 1938 and scored 26 runs batting
at number five. The following year, in the Royal-Thomian, he scored 59
in the first innings.

C. I. was a born athlete. In addition to cricket, he was
an excellent rugby and tennis player. He joined the Law College in 1940
and played cricket for SSC. However, he did not pursue law but joined
the Army as a Second Lieutenant. In 1946, he played occasionally for SSC.
Later, CI played for SSC under the captaincy of F. C. de Saram. He
really started to blossom during that 1947/1949 period, with three
centuries. He scored 104 against B. R. Heyn’s XI, playing for F. C. de
Saram’s XI and made 125 retired versus Saracens. Representing Ceylon, he
blasted Pakistan, scoring 120 runs.

He was called to play in a trial game to pick the All
Ceylon XI to play Bradman’s ‘Invincibles’ who were on their way for an
Ashes series in England.

In the trial, he was associated in a massive partnership
of 166 with Sargo Jayawickrama and scored 84 in the second trial. Due to
bad weather, CI did not get the opportunity to bat against Bradman’s
Aussie team.

C. I. Gunasekera first real baptism against fire was
against the mighty West Indies in 1949. West Indies in their run spree
amassed 462/2 (Everton Weekes 133 n.o, Clyde Walcott 125 n.o, Alan Rae
116 and George Crewe 77) at the Colombo Oval, which was a batting
paradise.

Mahes Rodrigo, who captained Royal in 1946 missing half
a century by two runs, in the ‘Battle of the Blues’, scored 135 n.o.
against West Indies. He was associated with C. I. Gunasekera in a
partnership of 114 runs. In the second essay, C. I. hammered 72 in 95
minutes which included eight hits to the ropes. In 1949, he scored a
brilliant 120 against Pakistan.

He joined Walker & Sons Limited as a Manager, where he
served with distinction. He was a gentleman of the highest order;
unassuming and always stood for fairplay and justice.

Attack is the best form of Defence

I presume his eye, quick footwork and his batting
philosophy, ‘attack is the best form of defence’ made him the number one
blaster in cricket at the time.

While the Bank of Ceylon - SSC match was in progress, CI
and Kushil Gunasekera, former Anandian and today a dedicated cricket and
Social Service promoter, who developed the Seenigama area on a massive
scale, were at the wicket, building a big partnership. If my memory
serves me right, CI made a power-packed 78 and Kushil a half a century
for SSC. I was fielding at point. I stopped a powerful square cut of CI
and my palm was blue for a week. His defence was sound and he always
dictated terms to the bowlers.

While I was playing for Saracens under Gerry Gooneratne,
my beloved coach at Nalanda, in his team meetings, he used to tell the
team, that when playing against SSC, to get CI early.

"If we get CI, half the battle is won," he used to say.

I still remember how he hoisted my college team mate
Mahawatta Premaratne (off-spin) over the rail track at Rifle Green
grounds, for a massive six.

CI was a fastish leg spinner, who used to mix his
googlies. He was the most difficult spinner I have ever faced.

Darling of the spectators

In his distinguished career, playing for All Ceylon for
nearly two decades, he became the ‘Darling of all Spectators’. People
used to flock to the SSC to witness his heroics.

In early 1960s, the England team skippered by Ted
Dexter, on their way to Australia. played a whistle stop game in Ceylon.
In that match CI thrashed Ray Illingworth and Fred Titmus, hitting five
sixers over the sightscreen.

Kline’s Plight

In 1961, Ritchie Benaud’s Australians played Ceylon at
the Oval. He had a left-arm spinner in Lindsay Kline. CI hammered Kline
for 27 runs in one over, with towering sixes which he deposited over the
sightscreen and ended poor Kline’s Test cricket career. He played only
13 Test matches. It reminds me of Arjuna Ranatunga, who ended Indian
leg-spinner Sivaramakrishnan’s career by thrashing him all around the
wicket. Today, Sivaramakrishnan is a cricket commentator.

Miller-Gunasekera Partnership

C. I. Gunasekera had the prime distinction of playing
for the Commonwealth XI which included Graeme Hole, Neil Harvey
(Tests-79-innings-137, 10 not outs, 6149 runs HS-205-Average 48.41) and
the late Keith Miller;

Tests-55-innings 87, 7 n.o, 2958 runs, HS 147, Av.
36.97).

It was one of the best batting displays witnessed by the
fortunate ones present. Miller and Gunasekera blasted the MCC attach to
pieces.

Miller and Gunesekera were in the 90s. Gunasekera beat
Miller in the race to the century, when as usual, he hammered a six over
mid off and reached the magical three figure. Later, Miller got his
century.

If you think for a moment, it was men like C. I.
Gunesekera, F. C. de Saram, Sargo Jayawickrama, Bertie Wijesinha, Gerry
Gooneratne, Malcolm Spittle, Vernon Prins, Stanley Jayasinghe and Abu
Fuard who helped Sri Lanka gain Test status in 1981. We obtained Test
status due to the efforts of all the past cricketers.

He was a man of many parts. He was a fine
conversationalist. He was a lover of vintage cars. He captained Ceylon
and was a gentleman par excellence.

His beloved wife Doreen, who passed away in January
2007, was the wind behind his wings. He was a dutiful husband and
dutiful father.

Some day or other, Conroy Ivers Gunasekera’s name will
be written in gold in cricket’s ‘Mahavamsa’.

I salute the Living Legend! Sir, may you live long and may God Bless
you!